The ability of worms to compost organic matter has long been known. Various attempts have been made to apply this knowledge to treating human waste. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,633 (Taboga) discloses using worms for reclaiming and processing biodegradeable waste into poultry products and humus-like substances. U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,428 (Lindstrom) discloses using worms in a natural composting bed which includes human waste. U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,687 (Windle) discloses using worms for composting a thin layer of biomass, and especially cow manure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,243 (Colombot) discloses using worms to compost a composting medium formed in part by human waste.
Common limitations are the quantity of waste able to be processed and the smell involved when processing human waste. The known prior art which uses vermiculture to process wastes requires extensive processing of the waste before it is composted, and quite frequently requires extensive processing during the composting phase. A need therefore exists for a system and method of processing sewage in an economical, low maintenance, and odor free manner.